Rocking-horse.



PATENTED MAY 16, 1905.

B. F. FOWLER.

ROGKING HRSE.

APPLICATION FILED DB0.29,1903.

I m v n u.

/l/llllll lllllll/l l NrTnD STATES Patented May i6, 1905.

BENJAMIN F. FOVLER, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

ROCKING-HORSE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 789,802, dated May 16,1905.

Application filed December 29, 1903. Serial No. 187,017.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. FOWLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented a new and useful Rocking-Horse, of which thefollowing is a specication.

The invention relates to improvements in traveling rocking-horses.

The object oi' the present invention is to improve the construction oftraveling rockinghorses and to increase the strength, durability, andefficiency and to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive oneadapted to have the length of its stroke readily controlled and capableoil readily taking up any wear or lost motion.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafterfully described` illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointedout in the claims hereto appended, itbeing understood that variouschanges in the form, proportion, size, and Ininor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a travelingrocking-horse constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is atransverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a detail longitudinal sectional view illustrating the mannerof hinging the front and rear sections together. Fig. 4L is a horizontalsectional view ot' the same. Fig. 5 isa detail sectional viewillustrating the manner of adjustably securing the rockers to the legsof the horse.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

1 and 2 designate front and rear sections oi' a rocking-horse, whichsections are mounted upon independent front and rear rockers 3 and 4 andpivoted eccentrically with relation to each other, whereby the adjacentends of the front and rear rockers are adapted to swing past each otherwhen the rocking-horse is operated. The rockers are arranged in pairs,and the front rockers 3, which have their rear portions arranged betweenthe rear rockers, are connected by front and rear transverse bars 5 and6, the front transverse bar having the front or fore' legs 7 of therocking-horse mounted upon it. The rear rockers are connected by frontand rear transverse bars 8 and 9, the rear transverse bar 9 having therear or hind legs 10 of the rocking-horse mounted upon it. The legs ofthe rocking-horse are connected with the transverse bars 5 and 9 byknees-or brackets 11, consisting of L-shaped plates having upright andapproximately horizontal portions. rIhe lower or horizontal portions ofthe L-shaped plates or knees 11 are perforated for the reception ofbolts or other suitable fastening devices for securing them to thecross-bars 5 and 9 of the rockers. The upright or forwardly-extendingportions oi the L -shaped plates or knees are provided with curved slotsl2 for the reception of fasteningdevices 13, whereby the L-shaped platesor knees are adjustably secured to the legs or' the rocking-horse. Thisconstruction permits the rockers to be readily adjusted and properlypositioned with relation to the sections of the rocking-horse, and theyalso enable any wear or looseness of the parts to be readily taken up.

The inner transverse bars 6 and 8 ot' the front and rear rockers areconnected with the sections of the rocking-horse by rods 14 and 15,arranged in pairs and having' upper threaded ends 16 for engaging thethreaded apertures of plates 17 and 18 of the sections of therocking-horse. The plates 17 and 18 are suitably secured to the adjacentends of the sections of the rocking-horse, at the bottom thereof, andthe lower ends of the rods 14 and 15 are threaded for the reception ofnuts 19 and pierce the transverse bars 6 and 8, the nuts 19 beingarranged at the upper and lower faces of the said bars 6 and 8, wherebythe adjacent ends of the sections of the rocking-horse are adjustablyconnected with the adjacent ends of the rockers. The adjustableconnections between the adjacent ends of the sections of therocking-horse and the inner ends of the rockers cooperate with theL-shaped plates or knees and enable the inner portions of the rockers tobe readily adjusted to arrange them in proper position and also to takeup any wear or looseness of the parts.

The front and rear sections of the rockinghorse have the configurationof a horse, as illustrated in Fig. l of the drawings, and the saidsections may be of any other desired form. The front and rear sectionsare provided with registering kerfs 20 and 21, which receive a plate orweb 22 of a saddle 23. rlhe plate or web, which is disposedapproximately vertically in the said kerfs, is fixed to the frontsection by suitable fastening devices 24 and is pivotally connected withthe rear section aty They the top thereof by a transverse pin 25. saddle23 projects in rear of the pivot Q5 in order that the rider by throwinghis weight on the rear portion of the saddle may rock upon the rear setof the rockers and simultaneously swing the front section and the frontrockers forwardly. The weight of the rider is then transferred to thefront section, which is oscillated, and the rear section swingsforwardly, thereby advancing the rocking-horse. The rocking-horse isadapted to travel in this manner, as will be readily understood.ASuitable stirrups 26 are provided, and the front section is alsoprovided at opposite sides of the horse with plates 27, which overlapthe joint of the sections and prevent the clothing of the rider fromcatching in the same.

'lhe stroke of the rocking-horse is limited by a flexible strap 28,secured at its terminals by suitable fastening devices 29 to the innercross-bars 6 and 8 of the front and rear rockers. This iiexible strapmay, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, be constructed ofelastic material, such as elastic webbing, to assist and render positivethe forward movement of the rear section of the rocking-horse. By thisconstruction the fiexible connection is adapted to perform the doublefunction of limiting the stroke and assisting the operation of' therocking-horse.

1t will be seen that the rocking-horse is exceedingly simple andinexpensive in construction, that it possesses great strength anddurability, and that it is readily operated. Furthermore, it will beclear that the parts are readily assembled and that any wear or lostmotion may be readily taken up. Also it will be apparent that means areprovided for limiting the stroke of the rocking-horse and for assistingthe operation thereof.

By employing the intermediate adjustable connections the legs of theanimal can be arranged at the outer ends of the rockers, so that thehorse will assume the position of galloping, and also any wear of theinner portions of the rockers may be readily taken up in order toposition the rockers properly with relation to each other so that suchwear will not interfere with the traveling movement of therocking-horse.

Any suitable means may beemployed for locking the front and rear rockerstogether to ,prevent longitudinal movement of the same and to preventthe rocking-horse from traveling and to causethe same to operate similarto the ordinary rocking or hobby horse. By the term hobby-horse it willbe understood that the device is not limited to the configuration of ahorse,as the form of a giraffe or any other animal may be employed.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A device of the class described, comprising front and rear sectionshinged together and provided with front and rear legs, frontk and rearrockers secured at their outer portions to the said legs, and rodsconnecting the sections with the inner portions of the said rockers,said rods being provided with means for adjusting the inner portions ofthe rockers toward and from the sections, substantially as described. A

2. A device of the class described, comprising front and rear sectionshinged together and provided with front and rear legs, front and rearrockers, brackets or plates mounted on the front and rear rockers, andhaving upwardly-extending portions ad justabl y secured to the legs andconnecting the same with the outer portions of the rockers, and meansfor adjustably connecting the sections with the inner portions of therockers, substantially as described.

3. A device of the class described, comprising front and rear sectionshinged together, front and rear rockers connected at their outerportions with the sections, and rods connecting the inner portions ofthe rockers with the sections and threaded for adjustment, substantiallyas described.

4. A device of the class described, comprising front and rear sectionshaving corresponding openings, and a saddle provided with'a rigiddepending web or portion arranged in the openings and fixed to one ofthe sections and pivoted to the other and hinging the sections together,substantially as described.

5. A device of the class described, comprising front and rear sections,and asaddle provided with a rigid depending web or portion fixed to oneof the sections and pivotally connected to the other and serving asahinge for the said sections, said saddle being extended beyond thepivot of the web, substantially as described.

6. A device ofthe class described, comprising front and rear sectionsprovided with longitudinal kerfs, a saddle provided with a rigiddepending portion or web arranged in the kerfs and fixed to one of thesections and pivoted to the other and hinging the sections to- IOO IIC

IIS

gether, and side plates mounted on one of the sections and overlappingthe other, substantiallyas described.

7. A device of the class described, comprising front and rear sectionshinged together, front and rear rockers arranged in pairs and slidablepast each other, front and hind legs extending from the sections to theouter portions of the rockers, and intermediatelongitudinally-adjustable connections extending from the sections totheinner portions of the rockers for adjusting the same, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aiiixedmy signature in I5 the presence of two Witnesses.

BENJAMIN F. FOVVLER. Witnesses:

JOHN T. GETTY, CHAs. I. SWEET.

